Sydney: The Harbour Bridge and suburban garden design..

In my last post we visited Barangaroo in Sydney. As I was writing that post, I noticed that I had quite a few photos of the surrounding area…. and this is the stroll we took around the Sydney Harbour Bridge in 2018.

Many of the old harbour wharves have been made into a mixture of restaurants, cafes, a theatre, and some apartments.
It is always interesting to see the Harbour Bridge from the under side.
The Harbour Bridge offer Bridge Climbs, and you can just see people walking along the edge of the pylons
On a beautiful day the view is stunning. Photo : TripAdvisor
It is just possible to see a group of people climbing up to the top of the bridges… Photo TripAdvisor

Paul and our daughter Jessica have climbed the Harbour Bridge (not for me, I’d be terrified). The bridge climbs are so popular bookings have to be made months in advance (pre CV 19). There are very specific preparations and instructions given by the group guide before the climb begins. Everyone wears the same overalls, no one is allowed to carry personal items of any kind, all photos are taken by the guides.

Both Paul and Jessica said it was an experience of a life-time.

For those of us who prefer something a little more sedate, a ferry ride around the harbour is easy, and a lovely way to spend a summer’s morning.

On this visit, in late June, we spent some time with my brother and sister-in-law, who live in one of the many coastal suburbs around the dramatic cliff-faces of Sydney.

No matter what time of the year we visit Sydney, there is always colour, movement, and usually sunshine. Sydney’s climate is subtropical, shifting from mild to cool in winter, to warm and hot and humid in summer. A gardener’s paradise I should think.

During our many visits I am always delighted by the local landscapes.

Even on the verge of some gardens there are interesting and thoughtful designs and planting, for the passer-by to enjoy.

The succulents in this garden are particularly striking.

These succulents have been so carefully planted, I wonder how difficult it is to maintain this almost perfect design…

Sydney is always a treat to visit, and I’ll end with the exotic bougainvillea which almost grows wild in Sydney, and reminds me of my childhood in Africa where it seemed to take over every garden!

Many thanks for taking the time to read my blog, and may your days be filled with sunshine and warmth!

Copyright Geraldine Mackey: All Rights Reserved

Wellington: Botanic Gardens, fish pie, and a cyclone…

We recently visited Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, on the southern tip of the North Island. From the waterfront promenade we could see the craggy shorelines, dotted with houses and sailing boats.

Just as we arrived, we heard Wellington was expecting the tail end of a cyclone that had devastated the Pacific Island of Tonga.

However, all was calm, and we had a few plans..

One of the attractions of the city is catching the little red cable car that clatters up the steep slope to the top of the Botanic Gardens…you can then wander down through the gardens,  all the way down to the Harbour….

Paul took this photo on the way up the hill (in my view, a mountain). The weather, we had to admit, wasn’t looking great.

We began our Botanic garden walk in the tracks of the original forest..

As I mentioned in my last post, many parts of New Zealand were used for the filming sites for the Lord of the Rings trilogy….

and quite often we felt we were entering Middle Earth territory….

This map shows New Zealand, Australia, India, Africa, South America, and Antarctica once formed a land mass called Gondwana.

Gondwana broke up about 167 million years ago and trees from the Araucaria family were spread all over these countries and continents.

Today trees, including the South American monkey puzzle, the Australian Moreton Bay fig and the Norfolk pine, are found across the southern hemisphere. Many of these trees were found in the Botanic gardens.

Monkey Puzzle Tree

Wellington’s Botanic garden was established in 1868, and has native and exotic trees, succulent gardens, seasonal displays of bulbs and annuals……something for everyone! (and all growing on the side of the mountain.)

I felt as if I was in South Africa, in particular Cape Town, walking around the succulent gardens..

The Aloes plants are welcome source of food in winter for insects and native birds such as Tui,  they love the nectar.

My favourite flower, seen frequently in NZ, seems to grow wild in some places…

Kaka Beak

The  succulent below looks a bit space age to me…

Haemanthus (Blood Lily)

 

Dwarf Pohutukawa

There were bee hives tucked away in all the garden beds..

Paul took a photo from our path across to Druid Hill where we could see a large copper sculpture called Listening and Viewing Device: Andrew Drummond 1994.  When the structure was first built, the original plan was to lift the two pieces into place by a helicopter, but the weight was more than estimated, (over a tonne)  and another more heavy duty helicopter sent from New Plymouth had to finish the job!

..back into Middle Earth again with these wonderful tree ferns…

this path led on to curved shady borders of Agapanthus, Hydrangeas, Rhododendrons, Irises…sadly the flowers are mostly spent now that summer is nearly over..

Along with the spring bulbs this must be a wonderful spring/early summer garden to visit.

After that long and interesting walk through the gardens we felt we had earned an evening meal at the Waterfront.

Wellington is not only the capital of New Zealand, but is also a University town, so we were spoilt for choice when it came to choosing a place to eat.

 

Charlie Noble (Eatery and Bar) looked great…… local ingredients,  wood-fired  grills, and rotisserie, natural wine and craft beer…

I tried the House Pot fish pie, and no, I didn’t see the word large anywhere on the menu! ….actually the pastry gently deflated into the wonderful fish dish.

New Zealand wine and local craft beers…….. how could we resist!

Fortunately we did enjoy our meal on the Waterfront, because the next morning, looking out of the window of our hotel room, onto the Botanic Gardens….the rain and wind from the cyclone had hit Wellington. We were hotel bound for a short while.

Perhaps because I live in the driest continent on earth,  my first thought, when I looked out of the window was….”well at least the Botanic Garden is getting some rain”

…and some!

Copyright Geraldine Mackey: All Rights Reserved.